This shocking cartoon appeared on the cover of
Harper's Weekly (published July 3) less than a week before the Democratic
National Convention began. The ostensible meaning is the conflict between Horace
Greeley's former harsh words of condemnation against the Democratic party (which
appear on the shackled man's back) and his quest for their presidential
nomination. The imagery, however, is clearly intended to convey an additional
message: that Greeley has forsaken his former abolitionist role for that of the
slave master. Like a slaveowner punishing his chattel, the candidate strikes the
Tribune cat-o-nine-tails (lash) against the bare back of a Democrat, who wears a
prison uniform. The man's cropped hair and the shading on his skin give the
impression that he is black, while the prominent placement of
"Blackleg" (i.e., swindler) on his shoulder may surreptitiously
indicate his skin color.This interpretation is reinforced by the context of the entire scene: a whipping (foreground) and the branding of other Democrats from “The Slave Pen” (background), practices used against slaves in the American South. The irregular spelling of the verb in the title—“thraeshing”—is an amalgam of references to Greeley’s status as a gentleman farmer (i.e., threshing) and to whipping (i.e., thrashing) someone.